Model Forum / General / Models / November 2007

because money is worthless.

Us...they charge that much, and we pay...

    Well, it is not the US dollar swooning on the international
   money markets, since the Chinese still tie their currency to
   the US dollar.

    My suspicion is that it is mainly the importer. That tends
   to be the place to look when prices are "silly".

    But, the Bailey Bridge was not any less.

                            Bruce

Don't compare straight dollar for dollar, as that is economically
meaningless. It's better instead to compare prices as a percentage of
average take-home pay, as it gives a much more realistic view of the
relative cost. I think if you do that, you'll find that kits ARE more
expensive than they were, but nowhere near as much as it seems (no, I
haven't, and won't bother to do the maths), BUT there's so much more in
them, parts, detail and quality-wise, than in 'the good old days'. Not to
mention the sheer variety available.

As for the difference b/w the Staghound and the Martlet - new kit, yet to
pay off its production costs vs very old kit, long paid its costs, so every
one they sell is almost pure profit.

But I could be wrong.

RobG

On Oct 29, 6:20 pm, "JLEJO...@COSLINK.NET" <JLEJO...@COSLINK.NET>
wrote:

I did a study about a year ago on kit prices and inflation, based on
prices I saw in model mags from forties and early fifties.  There ARE
kits that are appropriately priced for inflation, when one compares
prices of kits of EQUAL QUALITY.  Those early plastic kits were pretty
basic.  Many had few cockpit details- a seated pilot figure was about
it.  No instrument panels, no detail in interior of fuselage sides.
Raised panel lines.

What we see today is a much wider RANGE of prices.  There are kits
priced in line with inflation, but there are super kits that are far
beyond inflation in price, but also far beyond early kits in detailing
and accuracy.

So essentially today we have far more choice.  Unfortunately, it is
still buyer beware.  A high price does not NECESSARILY translate to
super kit quality.  There are some high priced kits that are pretty
junky.  But, on the other hand, I have bought a few cheap kits lately
that were delightfully high quality.

Inflation is about a factor of ten today compared to my teen years.

I see, you mean pound for pound why the disparity given they generally eat
up the same amount of costs production wise in plastic used to shoot the
kit, cardboard and ink to make the boxes, etc.  Otherwise the obious answer
is inflation and the cost of living

1.  Well, design costs may be a factor.  I'm not familar with either kit.
But if one is very old, the design costs have long since been amortized.

2. Source.  Production costs vary between countries, along with currency
value and other things.

3. Destination.  Retail price is determined by a whole host of parameters
that some people spend years studying and a lifetime making a living
applying. Not the stuff that can be thoroughly discussed in a short message.
But generally it breaks down to this - the manufacturer/importer/seller
focus a lot of energy, time and money caluclating the maximum amount of
money a potential customer possesses and is likely to spend on their
product - and for how long. One of the game consoles made news a few months
back due to the disparity of price being charged between US and Japanese
retailers, with US buyers getting soaked an additional $100.

Consider this, tonight, millions of American children will celebrate
Halloween with the traditional Trick or Treating in costume.  Additionally,
millions of American pets will don costumes as well. I'm not sure if they've
actually begun to trick or treat, but I would not be surprised if something
isn't up at the local Pet Smart in the form of a contest tonight.

Those pet costumes can run the gambit from $5 to $25 to whatever
extravagance the owner wants to absorb.  Somehere out there, a family is
spending as much or more for their pet's costume as they did for their
children.

You could raise the same questions regarding that Halloween phenomenon as
you have on the disparity of costs between kits. But I think the imprtant
question here has to be by far and away...

... just how many dog and costumes do they sell along restaurant row in
Beijing.  :-)

WmB

Well what do you think? This is 2007 you know. Basically these are prices
the rest of the world is used. It's just that americans are generally tight
as two coats of paint. No offence mind.